Easy veggie fried rice

This colourful veggie fried rice recipe is a quick, healthy dinner that's suitable for vegans and vegetarians. It's always popular with the kids and is a great way to use up leftover rice.

I always make too much rice. Does anyone else have this problem?

For some reason I'm incapable of remembering that the kids never actually eat that much of it. So it seems like there's always a Tupperware box in the fridge full of cooked rice.

As a consequence I'm alway looking for leftover rice ideas. What's your favourite way to use it up?

What to do with leftover rice

Fried rice is a great way to use up leftover rice. It makes such a quick dinner and you can adapt it to use up whatever veggies you have in the fridge. In my easy veggie fried rice recipe I use carrots, beans, corn and peas but peppers, courgettes and broccoli are also lovely.

Other ways to use up leftover rice include:

add it to soups

mix it with roasted squash and cinnamon and bake in filo pastry for a Greek-style pie

chuck a spoonful into chillis or stews to make them

mix with salad veg for a healthy rice salad

stir in lentils, herbs and/or nuts and stuff peppers or other vegetables with it

if you have leftover risotto you can make rice balls, or arancini, with it.

Can leftover rice be reheated safely?

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about whether rice is safe to be reheated. However, as long as you store your rice properly once cooled and reheat until it's piping hot it's safe to eat.

If you're not adding it to another dish you can reheat it easily in the microwave.

As my friend Ann from Storr Cupboard says: "Despite some often repeated beliefs, rice can safely be reheated in the microwave. Cool your rice quickly by spreading it in a thin layer on something like a baking tray. Once it’s cool, store it in a lidded container in the fridge and make sure it’s piping hot after microwaving.”

What ingredients do you need to make veggie fried rice?

Fried rice has to be the most easily adaptable meal out there. You can pretty much chuck in any vegetables you have in the fridge.

Here's what you'll need to make my vegan vegetable fried rice recipe:

For the sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

For the fried rice:

300g rice, cooked

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped

2 carrots, diced

100g green beans, chopped

Handful of frozen peas

Handful of frozen sweetcorn

If you wish you can serve with some of the following:

Coriander

Cashew nuts

Peanuts

Spring onions

Roasted tofu

How to make easy veggie fried rice

1. First make the sauce. Mix together 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Next heat the oil in a large wok. Add a finely chopped onion and stir fry for 5 minutes until soft. Add 2 cloves chopped garlic, a 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped and stir fry for one minute. Next add 2 diced carrots and 100g chopped green beans. Stir fry for a further 5 minutes until the carrots are softening.

3. Add a handful of frozen peas and another handful of frozen sweetcorn and fry for 2 minutes until warmed through.

4. Add a large bowlful of cooked rice (mine weighed 300g before cooking). Stir fry until the rice is piping hot and well mixed in with the vegetables.